There’s been a lot of talk lately about social media. First a quick definition–see if you agree with it. I like this one as it makes more sense than others I’ve read. It was written by Joseph Thornley, CEO of Thornley Fallis a full-service communications and public relations firm.

Social media are online communications in which individuals shift fluidly and flexibly between the role of audience and author. To do this, they use social software that enables anyone without knowledge of coding, to post, comment on, share or mash up content and to form communities around shared interests.

Chris Crumhas blogged about some ways that businesses around his hometown of Lexington, Ky. have utilized social media–along with suggestions for others to jump on board. His post can be read here–Real Life Examples: Local Social Media Marketing in Action. Seeing how businesses are putting social media marketing techniques into use is a great way of gaining an insight into just what can be done with today’s technologies.

Taking a look at Facebook, I’m amazed at its continued growth. Facebook has now outpaced MySpace with a registered user base of over 180 million. Smart businesses can use this huge community to their advantage by using just a few simple ideas. One thing a business can do is to watch what people are saying about your business and use that to build and improve on your brand’s reputation. By having a Facebook presence your company will increase brand awareness and chances for interacting with customers. Facebook also has many ways of targeting ads through user profile information. Because people can opt in to be your friend, you can target messages specifically to those who have already shown an interest in your business.